Computing systems that provide the capability of managing data, formatting, and programming in an electronic spreadsheet format are common. Current tools for manually cutting and pasting rows and columns in spreadsheets, or copying selected rows, columns, or sections, help in building and editing spreadsheets. Traditionally, when a user adds a new row to such an electronic spreadsheet that has preexisting rows with a column of formulas or with particular formatting, the user must then manually copy and apply formulas from the existing rows to the new rows, and must also manually apply formatting to the new row to match the formatting of existing rows. A user must also check and fix as appropriate to ensure the correct syntax of certain items contained in the formulas, such as cell references, data ranges, and/or the like.
It is desirable to automate this process to maintain the integrity of calculations and design in complex spreadsheets during the creation process, rather than editorially. However, rules for automatic propagation of data and formatting in electronic spreadsheet documents are difficult to configure properly. This causes users to take steps to prevent changes caused by such automation, such as locking cells, turning off automated features, or writing scripts to constrain the automated formatting and formula copy features. Users may also find that they have to make manual corrections and overrides on the results of automated formatting and copy features applied to rows and cells in a spreadsheet.
Re-configuring automated features and manually making corrections is difficult at least because data, formatting, formulas and configuration settings in electronic spreadsheet programs are often accessed using unrelated portions of the user interface, and users are not often trained in their use and interdependencies. Thus, spreadsheet automation, user action, and design intention can be in conflict, and errors can thereby be introduced in the electronic spreadsheet. What is desired are systems and methods that are configured to automatically inspect, and copy, and apply appropriate information, including spreadsheet formulas and cell formatting, from existing rows to newly updated rows.